Ex-IRS Agent Testifies in Double Murder Trial

In a Fairfax County courtroom this week, Brendan Banfield, a former Internal Revenue Service criminal investigator, took the stand in his own defense, denying prosecutors' allegations that he orchestrated the murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and another man, Joseph Ryan, in their Herndon, Virginia, home on February 24, 2023. Banfield, 40, faces charges of aggravated murder in the deaths of his 37-year-old wife, a pediatric nurse, and Ryan, 38, and could receive a life sentence if convicted.

Banfield testified that he entered the couple's bedroom that morning and found Ryan standing over his nude wife, who was next to the bed, holding a knife. He described a chaotic scene in which Ryan appeared to stab Christine in the neck, prompting him to draw his service weapon, identify himself as law enforcement, and fire a single shot at Ryan after a tense exchange. "I've never been more panicked in my life," Banfield said. "I was hoping to de-escalate the situation. I didn't want to shoot him. I just wanted him to let her go." He recounted applying pressure to his wife's wound before Juliana Peres Magalhães, the family's 25-year-old au pair from Brazil and Banfield's romantic...